Description
DEPUTY CITY ENGINEER
ENGINEERING SERVICES
*EXEMPT POSITION
DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS BUREAU OF ENGINEERING
THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES THE CITY ORGANIZATION
The City of Los Angeles is the second largest city in the nation, home to approximately 4 million residents, its vibrant, diverse economy and culture are unparalleled. Los Angeles is one of the largest economies, financial entities, and trade centers in the country. The city prides itself on its ethnic diversity, with an estimated 200 languages spoken. As one of the world’s great cities, Los Angeles will host the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games as well as other international events.
THE CITY ORGANIZATION
Los Angeles is a charter city, governed by the Mayor and the City Council. The City Council serves full time and has fifteen members elected by district. The other two elected officials of the City are the Controller and City Attorney. The City’s elected officials serve four-year terms. Volunteer Commissions consisting of prominent business and community leaders, appointed by the Mayor and confirmed by the City Council, oversee several City departments and bureaus. The City has over 40 departments, bureaus, and offices for which funds are budgeted annually and transitioning to a multi-year budget process approved by the Mayor and City Council. The Department of Public Works is one of those Departments with five different Bureaus. Public Works is under the authority of the Board of Public Works, a board appointed by the Mayor.
THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS - BUREAU OF ENGINEERING
The Bureau of Engineering is under the broad umbrella of the Department of Public Works. Public Works is the City’s third largest department and is comprised of more than 5,000 employees who are responsible for the construction, renovation, and operation of City facilities and infrastructure as well as the delivery of public safety and environmental programs. The Bureau of Engineering designs and constructs public projects such as libraries, fire stations, police stations, animal facilities, streets, bridges, streetlights, water reclamation plants, sewers, and sidewalks. The Bureau of Engineering also oversees permitting of construction within the Public Right of Way.
The City Engineer, the head of the Bureau of Engineering (BOE), has responsibility for a total staff of more than 900 within the BOE and an annual salary budget exceeding $100 million and a capital project portfolio of about 500 projects with a construction budget of about $5 billion. The top priority for the City Engineer is workforce development with a people first approach. The second priority, as a result of a large growth in the capital project portfolio in recent years, has been to utilize strong project management skills to rebalance our program schedules to match the resources available while reflecting City priorities and to create a more controlled project intake process in order to reliably deliver to our schedules in priority order.
THE DEPUTY CITY ENGINEER POSITION
The City of Los Angeles, Bureau of Engineering is seeking a dynamic and highly effective Deputy City Engineer to become an integral part of the Executive Leadership Team leading the Engineering Services Program. The Deputy City Engineer will oversee matrix-style engineering and specialized technical support for other program delivery functions across the Bureau. This key role provides vital response capabilities during storm events and delivers urgent technical expertise for hillside mitigation, emergency infrastructure repairs, and geotechnical challenges. The position oversees five divisions with over 150 full-time staff members providing crucial design, technical, and engineering support services. The Deputy City Engineer will also be a City Leader in engineering policy development and design standards updates. The Deputy City Engineer will work closely with elected offices and other City Departments, including the Bureau of Contract Administration and the Bureau of Street Services. This position will serve as part of the Bureau of Engineering Executive Team (which includes a Chief Deputy City Engineer and four Deputy City Engineers), this high-level position will play a key role in overall departmental leadership and policy and may act for the City Engineer, as needed.
THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
Top candidates will thrive in a fast-paced and dynamic environment with a commitment to industry best practices. The top candidate will lead the Engineering Services Program at an exciting time of design policy modernization, alignment with support for capital project delivery Department-wide policy development. The successful candidate will be a result driven professional with a verifiable career history in related projects. The ideal candidate for the position of Deputy City Engineer will have a thorough working knowledge of engineering principles, planning, program development, budget and resource management as well as design and engineering principles and practices. Top candidates will provide leadership that will help foster a collaborative culture as well as inspire, motivate, and empower staff to achieve established goals. Additionally, the successful candidate will be politically savvy and a collaborative leader capable of thriving in a fast-paced environment. Finally, the ideal candidate will be thoroughly knowledgeable of field best practices, strategic implementation for executing work, and approaches for safe and equitable distribution of City services.
Additionally, top candidates for consideration will be expected to possess:
Effective leadership skills and the ability to situationally adapt their leadership style when appropriate in order to achieve high morale and productivity.
A constant desire for process improvement and the skills to implement change effectively.
Excellent problem-solving skills, coupled with superior analytical skills.
Experience implementing prioritization and resource allocation.
Experience in directly advocating policy positions to executives and elected officials.
A broad interdisciplinary and technical background related to strategy and engineering.
Involvement with professional organizations or similar groups to stay current on modern geotechnical, environmental, structural and real estate techniques and policy.
Excellent skills in customer service and community relations.
Strong organizational management abilities to assist the Bureau of Engineering in achieving its vision of transforming Los Angeles into the world’s most livable and resilient city.
COMPENSATION & BENEFITS
The current salary range for the Deputy City Engineer at the Bureau of Engineering, Department of Public Works is $183,284 - $267,994 per year. This compensation is scheduled to be incrementally increased for a total of 8% between 2027 and 2028. This position is also eligible for bonuses of up to 13.75% at the discretion of the City Engineer.
A highly competitive benefits package includes a defined benefit retirement plan to which both the employee and the city contribute; a multi-option deferred compensation plan; generous vacation and sick leave; 13 paid holidays per year; a flexible benefits plan including multi-option health, dental, and vision coverage; and family and domestic partner leave. Reimbursement of relocation expenses may be considered. Reimbursement of relocation expenses may be considered.
How to apply
Interested candidates should apply by sending a comprehensive resume, cover letter of interest, and three work related references with contact information via email to per.execsearch@lacity.org. References will not be contacted until mutual interest is established. All completed submissions will be acknowledged via email. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Note: When emailing your application material, the subject line should be “Deputy City Engineer.”
Submissions from interested candidates will be accepted until Monday, November 16, 2026.
THE SELECTION PROCESS
Submissions will be screened against the criteria listed in this brochure. Upon submission of the application documents, applicants may be asked to provide additional information regarding size and scope of current responsibilities, major professional accomplishments, and other unique and qualifying experience.
The most qualified applicants will be invited to participate in a formal interview process with the City of Los Angeles. Questions and confidential inquiries may be referred to per.execsearch@lacity.org.
*The position of Deputy City Engineer at the Bureau of Engineering, Department of Public Works is an exempt, at-will management position. The incumbent will not accrue any civil service tenure, contractual employment rights or due process rights. The Deputy City Engineer at the Bureau of Engineering, Department of Public Works is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the City Engineer. The incumbent may be removed, without any finding of cause, by the City Engineer. Such removal would not be reviewable or appealable.
Executive
High level executive job opportunities requiring various degrees of managerial or administrative experience. Executives normally manage major functions in one of the City's many operating departments.
Requirements
QUALIFYING EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE
Education – Graduation from a recognized and accredited four-year college or university with a Bachelor’s degree, preferably in Civil Engineering or a related field. A Master’s degree in Civil Engineering or a closely related field is welcomed.
Professional Engineer License – Registration/licensure with a State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers as a Civil Engineer is required. Registration/licensure with the California State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers as a Civil Engineer is required within one year of appointment to position.
Experience – Two years with the City of Los Angeles at the level of Principal Civil Engineer.
OR
For those not currently employed with the City of Los Angeles, two years of experience serving as administrative and technical head of a major civil, structural, wastewater or closely related engineering unit responsible for planning, organizing and/or directing, through subordinate project engineers, the activities of major construction projects.
